Make an iconic pop culture show that lasts for nine seasons with award winning actors, now famous catchphrases, and side splitting jokes- challenge accepted. After nearly a decade this legendary show, “How I Met Your Mother”, finally concluded on Monday, March 31st, 2014. Season 9, Episode 24 was titled “Last Forever”, with a general consensus of disappointment from the die hard fans. The controversy of the ending exploded over the Internet with many fans tweeting and sending messages to the show creators displaying their disappointment. After years of leading up to this moment, the show wasn’t really about how the main character Ted Mosby met his wife, it was a love story between the two characters Ted and Robin Scherbatsky. The series opened with a romance between these two and ended the same way, completing the full circle that the creators had planned from the start.
Because of the complaints, the writers did throw a bone to the fans and stated that an alternate ending will be included in the nine season DVD boxed set, for all those planning to spend the money. Although it will be pricy, this item will certainly be a collector’s item and a necessity for all those who now are experiencing “How I Met Your Mother” withdrawals. Since the ending of the show the actors have appeared on many TV interview shows and morning shows to discuss what they will be doing now, their reactions to the ending, and how this whole experience started. Lily Aldrin, played by Alyson Hannigan, explained that she was only chosen for the part because one of the creators wife/girlfriend loved her from her role in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Many also do not know that the character Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris, was originally going to be cast as a fat wingman like Jack Black or John Belushi. The writers were impressed with Neil’s audition though, and gave him the part.
The co-creators CarterBays and Craig Thomas still felt that the finale was great, despite many others feeling otherwise. They explained that the show has been an emotional roller coaster all the way up to the very end. Every time they did something in the final days of filming they always made it a point to state, “Hey everyone this is the last time we are going to be doing this.” After the finale Thomas tweeted, “We wrote a comedy with dramatic elements till the very end. Thanks for taking that ride with us. #HIMYM” and “We did a finale about life’s twists and turns and that is not always what happens…but THANKS! Seriously – no matter what you thought of tonight, THANK YOU…you were with us. We love you.” Many of the actors felt the same way and tweeted out similar sentiments. Hannigan told James Lipton what it was like to work with Jason Segel, who plays Marshall Eriksen, Lily’s wife on the show, in an interview on Bravo TV before the season finale aired. She described the near decade experience as “a dream” and that Segel was “just the greatest.” When the question was reversed, Segel said it was “the longest relationship he has ever been in,” and he stated, “I have learned a lot about the kind of man I want to be being around Alyson.” All of the actors were in agreement that although the show is described as a comedy, there were parts filled with real emotion- love, hatred, and sadness that would ultimately drive these characters into the deepest friendships they may ever have.
Although the show is now at a close, many will never forget some of the greatest show moments including the never boring interventions, the always awaited devastating slaps from the slap bet, and an emotional roller coaster of a young man getting rid of his first car in the episode “Arrivederci Fiero”. There’s also Ted’s butterfly tramp stamp (nuff said); Swarley, the one thing the truly bothers Barney; the episode “Three Days of Snow” where Ted and Barney hold down a bar for a night; Robins unknown and extremely popular Canadian pop star alter-ego Robin Sparkles; and of course licking the Liberty Bell! For all those who are confused by these last sentences and have never watched the show, it is suggested to start now; the 208 episodes will take a while to get through!
